


Reintroductions

by the_technicolor_whiscash



Series: The New Travels of Rose and the Doctor [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, Meeting the Parents, Pining, all you could ever want, lots of delightful awkwardness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 16:24:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16329482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_technicolor_whiscash/pseuds/the_technicolor_whiscash
Summary: Rose takes the Doctor back home in order to show her to her parents. They handle it about as well as Rose expected.





	Reintroductions

**Author's Note:**

> i told y'all i would continue it, didn't I  
> well here we go

“What do you mean, that’s the Doctor? I thought he was trapped in another universe! And I thought he was he!”

Rose sighed. “You know that they can regenerate. This time, they regenerated into a woman.”

Rose was utterly glad that she had asked the Doctor to wait in the other room for this conversation to occur. She personally had no problem with the Doctor being a woman, but she knew Jackie would have a hard time of it. Especially since Jackie knew Rose’s feelings towards the Doctor. Those feelings hadn’t changed. 

“They can do that?”

“Yes, mum.”

“Blimey, I wish I could do that. But sweetheart, what are you going to do?”

“I’m going with her.”

“Where are you going to go?”

“I don’t know. I promise I’ll call you all the time.”

“But you don’t know if you’ll come back.”

Rose sighed. “I wish I could say I will, but travelling with the Doctor is unpredictable. You know that just as well as I do.”

“I know, but I worry about you. I’m your mother, it’s my job to worry.” Jackie glanced into the other room, where the Doctor stood, flipping through a magazine. “Does she eat?”

Rose frowned. “What?”

“I can never tell with these aliens if they eat or not, but if she does, tell her I’m making a roast.”

“Alright, I’ll tell her. Thanks, mum.”

Rose began to walk out, but before she could leave, Jackie tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re alright with all this? I know how hard it was, having to leave it all behind. I just don’t want you to be hurt again.”

“Yeah. It’ll take some getting used to, but I want to do this again. I’m tired of feeling stagnant. I want to see the universe again. And I’ve missed the Doctor. It’ll be good to be with them again.”

“Still got that crush, then?”

Rose smiled bashfully. “Yeah, a bit. And before you say anything, no, I don’t care that they’re a woman now.”

“I figured that. Well, go talk to your Doctor, ask if she wants to stay for dinner. Though how we’re going to explain this to your father I don’t know.”

“Well, he’s already seen enough interdimensional weirdness for a lifetime, telling him that the Doctor can change not only their face but their gender should be a breeze.” Rose proceeded into the other room, where the Doctor was now switching through tv channels with her sonic screwdriver. “My mum wants to know if you want to stay for dinner, she’s making a roast.”

The Doctor’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to. Should I bring anything, like a cake or something?”

“No, no. Though just be aware, my dad’ll be here, and we’ll have to explain this whole thing to him.”

“Well, I’ve had to explain it to enough people already that I’m used to it. Or almost, anyway.”

“I never got a chance to ask, how long ago did you regenerate?”

“Oh, not long at all. Few weeks, I think. So it’s all as new for me as it is for you.” She smiled. “Exciting, isn’t it?”

This new Doctor was just so bright-eyed and enthusiastic, it made Rose’s heart race, and she couldn’t help but smile back. “Very.”

As if on cue, the door opened, revealing Rose’s father Pete. Rose hugged him, and that was when he saw the Doctor. “Who’s your friend?”

“Dad, this is the Doctor.”

Pete frowned. There had been an awful lot of frowning today. “The Doctor? As in _The_ Doctor?”

“Yes, that Doctor.”

The Doctor waved. “‘Ello.”

“Isn’t the Doctor a man? And stuck in a different universe?”

Rose nodded. “They were, but they regenerated, which basically means they changed their face to avoid dying, so he is now a she, and she fell through a wormhole between universes, so that’s why she’s here.”

“Huh. So that’s some Time Lord mumbo-jumbo, then.”

“Essentially.” The Doctor said. 

“Well, I won’t pretend I understand, but if Rose says you’re the Doctor, I’ll believe her.”

“She’s staying for dinner. Mum’s making a roast.”

“Is she? Good. If you’ll excuse me.” He hung up his coat and proceeded into the kitchen. 

Rose let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. “Well, at least that was quick and painless. I don’t know why I was nervous.”

“Because you want your father to approve of me. Though I don’t know if he ever did in the past.”

“Oh, I’m sure he did. He said once that you reminded him of himself when he was young.”

“Makes me wonder what he was like back in the day.”

“Quite the rebel, as I understand.”

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Now that makes me wonder what he really thought of me.”

“Well, no matter what he thought, he has plenty of time to change his mind.”

A smile spread across the Doctor’s face, and Rose couldn’t help but smile back. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you again, Rose.”

Rose felt a flutter in her stomach that she couldn’t quite ignore. She would very gladly have kissed the Doctor right then and there. But of course, she didn’t. The Doctor hasn’t let on whether or not she reciprocated Rose’s rather obvious feelings, so for now, she was just going to let it be. Even if it did tear at her heart every time she saw that sparkle in the Doctor’s eye. 

About a half an hour later, dinner was served. The silence at the table was heavy, like a balloon filled with sand. Finally, it was Pete who broke the silence. 

“So, what have you been doing lately, Doctor?”

“Oh, bit of this, bit of that.” She replied. “Met Vincent Van Gogh once, that was neat. Terribly nice man. Bit sad, though.”

“I can imagine.”

The silence returned. Rose picked at her food, finding herself with a lack of an appetite. 

“This is an excellent roast.” The Doctor said. 

“Thanks.” Returned Jackie. 

Silence again. 

Rose, unable to stand it, dropped her fork to her plate with a loud clack. “What the hell is this? It’s worse than the first time I brought Mickey home and introduced him as my boyfriend!”

The Doctor held up a hand. “Rose, please, it’s-“

“It’s not fine. You two,” She eyed her parents, “are being weird about this whole thing. And I know it’s only because the Doctor looks different. If it was the same old Doctor from years ago, you would be fine with it, but it’s not, and you’re going to have to get used to that.”

She turned towards Jackie. “I thought you would at least be used to it, since you saw the Doctor change their face once before.”

Jackie sighed. “You’re right, sweetheart. Of course you are. But it’s been years since we saw you at all,” she pointed to the Doctor, “and I can’t say I was happy with how you left things with my daughter.”

The Doctor’s expression grew guilty. “I’m sorry about that. Every day, I regret having to leave her here. But we can’t change that now.”

“How did you even end up here? From what Rose said, there was no chance of you returning.”

“Ah. Well, I didn’t think there was any chance I could. The fabric of the universe was too thin, and risking coming through on purpose might tear both universes apart. However, there was one option I hadn’t considered: wormholes. Holes in the fabric of spacetime, that can chuck you around within one universe, or throw you from one universe to another. By chance, and some poor driving skills, the Tardis ended up in one, and I was flung into this universe. Ended up in Shetland initially, right amongst a herd of ponies I had disturbed. I made my way to the mainland, and that was when I heard reports of possible alien activity which had resulted in cattle being decapitated.”

Jackie clearly recognized the subject. “Rose, I thought I told you not to keep investigating that! You’ll get yourself hurt!”

“Mum, I know what I’m doing.” Rose said. “And besides, the Doctor was there, so everything went fine.”

“Right. Fine. And the aliens shouldn’t be bothering anyone again, so it was entirely successful.” The Doctor added, conveniently concealing the fact that aliens had tried to kill them. “I had no idea this was even the universe you all were in until I saw Rose. Millions of universes to fall into, and this is the one I end up in. Lucky me.”

Jackie still looked skeptical, but conceded. 

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot to ask. Jackie, when I was last here, you had just had a baby. Tony, if I’m not entirely mistaken.”

“Yes, Tony’s at a friend’s house for the night having a sleepover. I can show you pictures if you’d like.”

“He must be, what, ten, by now? Blimey.” 

“Time sure does fly.” Jackie pulled out her phone and showed a picture of Rose’s younger brother to the Doctor. “Course, you’d know that more than anyone else.”

“Quite right. Well, congratulations to the both of you.”

“What about you, Doctor? You can’t have been alone for… however long it’s been for you.”

The Doctor sat back in her chair. “I’ve had all kinds of friends. Excellent ones, too. All gone, now.” A kind of sadness crossed her face. “Was ever so briefly married to Elizabeth the first, and let me tell you, that was wild.” Rose felt a spark of jealousy, which she quickly batted away. There was no reason to be jealous, especially since Elizabeth the first died 300 years ago.

Pete’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. 

“But everyone’s gone home or just left. Now I’m cruising the universe on my own.”

“Must get rather lonely.” Rose heard herself saying.

“Eh, I’m used to it. Have thought about getting a cat, though, or maybe a fish. Do I seem like a cat lady?”

“A bit, yeah.”

“Cool. I’ve always wanted a cat.” The Doctor smiled. “Will you help me find a good one?”

“Of course, Doctor.”

\------------

After that only slightly awkward family dinner, the Doctor went back to the Tardis, leaving Rose alone to decipher her own thoughts. Rose’s parents had gone to bed, while Rose sat on the couch, aimlessly clicking through tv channels.

She wanted to be with the Doctor again. She wanted to travel with her, to feel the light of some distant planet’s star on her skin while they run from some eldritch beastie. The time she spent with the Doctor had been the best years of her life, bar none. But she didn’t know if the Doctor would want to take her along. The fabric of the universe was still delicate, and if Rose went along, who knows what could happen.

But she was tired of living a normal life. Of going to work every day pretending like all she had done had never happened. When people asked about her past, she came up with some nonsense story about travelling Europe. Which, technically, she had done. Just in the past, or in the future. And she couldn’t very well tell that to Joe from down the street. 

After far too long of a time, Rose finally dragged herself off the couch, threw on a coat, and headed outside. She hoped a walk could clear her head. It was a lovely night, completely clear, the stars twinkling above. She reached a hand up, spreading her fingers towards the sky as though she could touch it. 

“Rose?” The Doctor’s voice said from behind her, “it’s late. You should be in bed.”

Rose didn’t shift her gaze from the sky. “I could probably say the same about you. I still remember the fact that you forget to sleep more often than not.”

“Guilty as charged. But there are just so many other things I could be doing, sleeping seems like such a waste. I could be reading, or baking, or making something.”

“But sleeping is just so nice! You can’t tell me that you don’t enjoy it.”

“Sure, I enjoy it, but I enjoy other things more. Just because I like cold potato soup doesn’t mean I want it to be the only thing I eat.” The Doctor paused. “Hold on, I don’t know if I actually like cold potato soup. Haven’t had it in this body yet. I’ve always liked it before, so I guess I could assume that I like it, but I don’t really know what this new tongue likes. One of my last regenerations used to eat fish fingers and custard on the regular, so I’ve learned to distrust new tongues.”

“Wow, that sounds disgusting.”

“Yes, in hindsight, it does seem rather bad. I seemed to like a lot of odd things in that regeneration. Wore a bow tie constantly.”

Rose snickered. “A bow tie? Like Bill Nye?”

“Exactly like Bill Nye. I have pictures back on the Tardis if you’d like to see.” 

“I’d love to.” 

The Doctor smiled. “Well, as I used to say, allons-y!”

**Author's Note:**

> don't worry there will be even more past this one  
> i tend to prefer writing things in series as opposed to chapters   
> don't know why


End file.
